Progress towards universal health care in Africa is slow, and according to the World Health Organization 80 per cent of Africans depend instead on traditional medicine.

In this episode of Africa Science Focus, Oluwagbemiga Aina, head of the centre for traditional, complementary and alternative medicine at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, explains what herbal medicines are. Scholastica Lan, national chairman of the Association of Lady Pharmacists in Nigeria, tells us why regulation is sorely needed. 

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

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African currencies are in free-fall, with hard-biting inflation hitting double digits in countries like Ghana and Nigeria, putting food nearly out of reach for many.

In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we speak to Churchill Ogutu, a Kenyan economist, who unpacks the links between currency depreciation and poverty. And Ndubusi Nwokoma, director of the Centre for Economic Policy Analysis and Research of the University of Lagos, Nigeria, tells us what’s needed to stabilize the situation. 

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

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Nigeria is facing its worse flooding in a decade with building and infrastructure submerged and lives and livelihoods lost. While climate change does play a role, poor infrastructure and poor preparation have intensified the situation.

In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we get the backstory from Professor Nelson Odume, acting director of the Institute for Water Research at Rhodes University, South Africa. Philip Jakpor, the director of programmes at Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, a social action organisation, puts the blame on poor dam management. And Alagoa Morris - flood victim, environmentalist and the Head of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, in Bayelsa state, Nigeria, tells us what it is like to live through the flood. 

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

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Africa is largely a coastal continent, with more than 70 per cent of African countries having a coastline. Much of the region depends on the ocean for food and income, but the changing climate is causing Africa’s coastal communities to deal with rising sea levels and dwindling resources.

In this episode of Africa Science Focus, Dickson Gereza, a fisherman, co-founder and manager of the Kuruwitu Conservation and Welfare Association in Kilifi County, tells us what his community is doing to adapt to the pressure the ocean is facing. We also talk to Thando Mazomba, a marine scientist and alumni of Ocean Womxn, a leadership programme under the Department of Oceanography, who advocates for Africa-centric solutions. 

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

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Africa is battling a suicide and mental health crisis. According to the World Health Organization, the region has the highest number of suicide cases in the world with around 11 people per 100, 000 dying by suicide each year. The region is also home to six of the ten countries with the highest incidence of suicide. 

In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we hear from Kenyan resident Philis Mwatee about the pain of losing a dear friend to suicide. Florence Baingana, WHO regional advisor on mental, neurological and substance abuse, highlights the risk factors affecting Africans. And clinical psychologist Gladys Mwiti from Oasis Africa, a trauma centre, says Africa must invest in stronger support structures. 

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

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The lands of indigenous peoples contain much of the world’s surviving tropical forests – which are key to limiting the devastating impacts of climate change. Yet it is estimated that just 17 per cent of global climate and conservation finance allocated for indigenous peoples and local communities’ forest management initiatives reaches them.

In this episode of Africa Science Focus, Bryson Ogden of the Rights and Resources Initiative in Washington DC explains the barriers indigenous peoples face in accessing funds meant to protect forests on their lands. And Kenyan social entrepreneur and climate leader, Patricia Kombo, speaks about the importance of the forests in indigenous communities.

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

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Uganda is experiencing its first outbreak in a decade of the deadly Ebola disease caused by Sudan virus, health authorities announced in September. More than 40 cases and at least 29 deaths have been reported, including four health workers. Nine of these deaths are from confirmed cases. While there are vaccines against the more common Zaire strain, there are no licensed vaccines or therapeutics for Sudan ebolavirus.

In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we find out more about the current outbreak in Uganda from the World Health Organizations’s Patrick Otim. Dimie Ogoina, president of the Nigerian Infectious Diseases Society, tells us what the continent must do to curb the spread of the virus and prevent future outbreaks.

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

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Antimicrobial resistance is a growing threat to public health in Sub-Saharan Africa. Bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites can change their make-up and become resistant to the drugs that are used to treat them, such as antibiotics. One major challenge the continent faces is the lack of data to provide insight into the extent of the problem.

 In this episode of Africa Science Focus, African Society for Laboratory Medicine virologist Pascale Ondoa explains the implications of drug resistance for Africa’s health systems. And Yewande Alimi from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention tells us why over-reliance on antimicrobial medicines, particularly without a diagnosis, is a key reason for the rise of superbugs. 

 This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

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Despite contributing the least greenhouse gas emissions globally, Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing some of the greatest impacts of climate change. Increasingly harsh weather conditions including higher temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns, as well as rising sea levels are leading to floods, droughts and other extreme weather events that are exacerbating poverty in the region.

In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we talk to farmer Munuaradzi Muronda, who tells us how climate change is driving losses and how he is adapting his farming practices to accommodate changes in the weather. And Mithika Mwenda, executive director of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, tells us about the interventions that could build climate resilience.

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

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Sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s largest burden of sickle cell disease - the World Health Organisation says 66 per cent of the 120 million people affected globally live in Africa. And over half of the estimated 1,000 children born with the disease every year will die before they turn five.  

In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we learn about the myths and misconceptions surrounding sickle cell disease that create stigma and hamper proper and early diagnosis. We also learn of the hurdles the Sub-Saharan African region faces in the treatment, prevention and detection of sickle cell disease. 

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

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